Practical Tips on Thanks

My favorite story in the Bible is in Luke 17:11-19.

Jesus runs into 10 lepers. They ask for mercy. They get healed. Only 1 goes back to thank Jesus.

Only one gives thanks.

One out of ten. Ten percent. A tenth.

Would I have been that one? The question begs to be asked. Would I have gone back to Jesus and given thanks? Or would I have simply triumphed in my healing. It’s interesting because it says in the Luke passage that the one who came back to give thanks was a Samaritan – the least likely candidate to get it. The least likely candidate to be thankful. The least likely candidate to be healed.

I recently had the opportunity to give a gift to a number of Christians. I have been astounded by the response: Total Silence. It’s been surprising for me, although most of the handful of people I have discussed the situation with assure me that it is very normal for people to accept a gift that they feel is due them without uttering thanks. I’ve been told my expectations are too high, my expectation too soon. Give them a week, a month, a year to thank you.

I don’t want to be one of the 9 who forgot to give thanks for an amazing miracle in their life. I don’t want to be one who takes goodness for granted. I want to have a thankful heart and I want to express it with a thankful mouth.   It’s the week of thanksgiving and I believe a great time to give you some practical tips on Thanks as you enter this week of festivities and expectation.

So here they are – Lina’s practical tips on thanks.

1. Recognize the Gift. It’s easy to become so focused on the negative that all kinds of goodness passes me by. It’s easy to become so focused on the need that the blessings are overlooked. Sit back for a minute and count your blessings. If you are reading this blog, you have electricity or a wireless connection, and a computer. Those are things most people in the world don’t have. You are breathing and using your fingers to scroll down the blog. Praise God for that. So, first of all, Recognize the gift.

2. Raise your Voice. So often in Psalms the writer would say things like “I will open my mouth in praise”, or “Praise the Lord, Sing to the Lord”. Speaking thanksgiving is an absolutely necessary part of the praise process. It’s not enough to be thankful. You’ve got to say it. For all I know the 60 women I gave a gift to were utterly thankful, but I’ll never know it until they tell me. Believe me when I say it doesn’t change my desire to give to them, and I wouldn’t take the gift back, but hearing a word of thanks is a blessing. This thanksgiving, find someone who needs it, find someone who has poured themselves into you and tell them you are thankful.

3. Raise it Again. Yeah, it’s that easy. Tell God you’re thankful, and then do it again, and again, and again. The praise cycle doesn’t stop. In I Thessalonians 5:18 it says to give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Raise your voice in praise when things are going well, and do it when they are not. Raise your voice in praise when your plate is full and when it’s less than full. Every one of us has more than we deserve – always. Thank God over and over again for His presence in your life and His blessings in your life.

There it is. It’s as easy as pie. Recognize and Speak it out.

This thanksgiving week, follow the lead of a Samaritan leper. He was the least likely to be thankful, but the most likely to be saved.

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